LONGMONT -- Some beekeepers spend the winter preparing for the spring, but Longmont beekeeper Miles McGaughey will be rebuilding his operation that was destroyed by the recent flood.

Beekeeper Al Summers inspects a honeycomb before putting it into a machine that uses centrifugal force to separate out the honey Tuesday at the Ichiban Honey Company in Longmont.
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Matthew Jonas
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McGaughey, president of the Boulder County Beekeepers' Association, lost 98 of his 122 hives and thousands of bees to floodwaters.

"There were no fence posts, no landmarks left and we've never found any of the 98 boxes that were missing," McGaughey said. "We're basically starting over at zero."

Boulder County beekeepers were on track for the best honey production year since 1985 following a mix of rain and sun this summer, McGaughey said, but now, some beekeepers will be lucky to salvage what remains of their operations.

With about six months until the 2014 season kicks off, McGaughey will spend the winter learning about comb honey production, which he hopes will help save some money that he will need to build his hives back up.

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Comb honey -- which is sold with the wax that the bees create, unlike liquid honey that is separated from the wax -- requires more manual labor but less equipment and cost to harvest, McGaughey said. Buyers often use comb honey for spreading because it has a thicker texture than liquid with the added wax, he said.

"I'm going to be educating myself on the comb honey techniques so I can do that for at least a year or two until we get back on our feet," McGaughey said.

Miles McGaughey, president of the Boulder County Beekeepers Association, lost 98 of his 122 hives and thousands of bees to floodwaters.
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Greg Lindstrom
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Longmont beekeeper Al Summers was unaffected by the flood and spent last week harvesting about two tons of liquid honey from his own and other local hives.

Summers, owner of Ichiban Honey & Apiculture, said he will spend the off-season making sure his hives survive the winter and attending workshops and discussions hosted by area beekeepers.

"This is a great time for beekeepers to educate themselves before they need to start the next season, which is usually in April," Summers said. "Beekeepers need to develop an understanding of flowers, weather patterns, nectar ... there are all kinds of nuances."

Summers helped develop the Mountain High Beekeepers Cooperative in 2004, one of several area groups focused on beekeeping, as a way to help the community connect and grow, he said.

Despite his 50 years of experience, Summers said, there is always something new and interesting to learn about bees.

"Bees are a portal to a much wider view of the environment," Summers said. "As much as I like bees, they do have a nostalgic appeal, that's not my dominant reason for beekeeping. It's my style of being environmentally responsible."

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